


Easy as Life

by AKA_47



Category: The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Future, Very post finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 14:11:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2814860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKA_47/pseuds/AKA_47
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Sometimes Will could hardly believe that this was his life, that he got to have these kinds of arguments with Mac, with his son, with his daughter. Sometimes it was all too easy to imagine the life that he would have had if Mac hadn’t come to News Night [...] Most often, he was too busy with life to dwell on what ifs."<br/>A glimpse into the distant future for Will and Mac.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Easy as Life

**Author's Note:**

> So, after the angst of my last story I needed to write some (relatively pointless) fluff, set about 20 years post finale. Liam is the older of the two children, and Madison the younger. The idea started with some arguments I had with my father about my tattoo (a peace sign on my shoulder) and kind of flowed from there. I took the names off of Social Security's most popular baby names in New York in 2013. I'm not particularly attached to them, so they may change in future stories. The title comes from the musical Aida.

“All I’m saying is that there’s a bit of a double standard,” Mac hid her smirk as she picked up her wine glass, bringing it to the sink.

Will followed behind her with their plates. “ _I_ don’t have a double standard,” he argued. “There is more of a societal stigma about women with tattoos. I just don’t want her judged when she goes for a job interview because of a choice she makes at 18.”

Mac plucked a piece of leftover bread from his plate, popping it into her mouth as he set it down. “You didn’t have a problem when Liam got his tattoo.”

Will threw his hands up. “Were you listening to a word I just said? No one’s going to care that Liam has a tattoo because he’s male. I didn’t make the rules.”

“You want to know what I think?” She was still chewing on the crust and her words were muffled.

“Not particularly.”

“Too bad.” She swiped her hands together to clear the crumbs. “I think you don’t want Maddie to have a tattoo because she’s your little girl and it _bothers_ you.”

Will narrowed his eyes at her. “Way to go Sherlock. How long did that one take you?”

He switched off the lights to the kitchen and she slipped her hand into his, following him into the living room. He sat down on the couch and she stood behind it, hands braced on his shoulders, head ducked close to his ear. “She already has a tattoo,” she whispered, close enough that he could feel her lips against his skin.

“What?” Will yelled, loud enough to make Mackenzie jump. “When the hell did she do that? How long have you known? You let her?!”

“Whoa.” Mac came around the couch to face him, hands placed firmly on her hips, “First of all, I didn’t _let her_ do anything. She got it on her birthday. I wasn’t there. She didn’t need my permission.” (She didn’t add, “or yours,” but her eyes implied it). “I saw it a month ago. She didn’t mean for me to see it, but she told me when I did.”

Will scrubbed a weary hand over his face. “What is it?”

“It’s a peace sign. It’s cute actually.”

Will raised his eyebrows, “cute?” He asked skeptically, “where is it?”

Mac sat down next to him, a full blown smile on her face that he thoroughly disliked. She was always so calm about things like this, the kids making _choices_ and _mistakes_ and all that. It was infuriating. “One of us has to be the calm one.” She had said over and over again through the years. She certainly wasn’t calm about everything. He could still remember her anxiety when Liam was waiting for college acceptance letters, the excitement when Madison got the solo for her violin recital, how she had held his hand tight while Maddie played, biting her lip as she listened, hoping for flawlessness. Those were the things he didn’t worry about. Of course Maddie would be amazing, of course Liam was brilliant and would get into whatever school he wanted. But tattoos, house parties, relationships, those were the things Mac was calm for. It was nonsensical.

“It’s on her shoulder,” Mac pointed to her own shoulder as though to illustrate before bringing her hands up to form a circle roughly the size of a grapefruit.

Will’s eyes widened. “That’s huge!”

Mac shook her head, obviously enjoying herself. “It’s not.” Her voice was tinged with laughter.

Will groaned, leaning back into the couch cushions and closing his eyes. “So, she wants another one?”

“Yes.”

“And this time she wants our permission?”

Mac paused, deliberating. “More of a warning. There’ll be no way to hide this one.”

“I’m afraid to ask why.”

Mac put a soothing hand on his arm. “It’ll be on her wrist, that’s all.”

Will opened his eyes, glaring at her, “oh, that’s all?” He mocked.                 

“Billy.”

Will sat up, looking like he had come to a sudden epiphany and Mac rolled her eyes. “What I want to know is who the fuck she’s hanging out with giving her these crazy ideas? I knew we should have home schooled her. Didn’t I tell you to home school her?” He pointed accusatorily at Mac. “She’s too much like you, that’s her problem.”

“Excuse me?”

Will waved off her affronted look with a snort. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m not sure that I do. Explain.” Her eyes glinted in challenge.

“She’s not afraid to do whatever the hell she wants. She’s got nerve.”

“Oh, what a horrible character trait to pass on. An independent woman, the very idea!”

“That was sarcasm. I heard the sarcasm.”

“You were supposed to. Move over.”

Will slid to the furthest end of the couch and Mac stretched out, laying her head in his lap. She blinked up at him, smiling at the very real concern that marked his features.

“You know, she picked up a few things from you, too.”

Will’s hands went to her hair almost automatically, a familiar routine, smoothing it back. “Why do I have a feeling you’re going to blame all of her annoying habits on me?”

“Years of experience. No, I’ll be serious this time, I promise.” He glanced down at her dubiously. She smacked his arm.

“She’s kind like you.” Her tone made it abundantly clear she understood the irony of the situation. “And she’s got this dedication to what’s right that borders on ridiculous. Lord knows she didn’t get her understanding of the law from me, or her musical ability.”

His answering smile glowed with pride.

“And Liam? Have you seen how gentle he is, with Maddie, with everyone? She’ll have a protector for life, Billy. That’s all you.”

“When he’s not convincing her to get tattoos.” He tried to sound flippant, but Mac could tell how much he appreciated what she’d said. She’d made a career of reading him, a career and then a life.

Mac shrugged. “On the plus side, no one will mess with her if she looks like a biker chick.”

Will laughed. “No one would mess with her anyway. She’s pretty scary. Just like her mother.” That earned him another smack.

“They’re pretty amazing.”

He nodded. “Do you remember when they were little and we took them to Disney?”

Mac shuddered. “Do I ever. They should call it the most stressful place on Earth.”

“The most expensive,” Will amended. “But no, Liam got that stupid pirate make over and Madison wanted to be Tinker Bell so they would match.”

They both smiled at the memory. “We were washing pixie dust out of her hair for a week, and Liam wanted to wear his eye patch to school.”

“Why did they grow up?” Will asked, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Mac lifted her head to kiss him. “So we could see what we made.” She got up from the couch, holding out her hand for him, “c’mon, Mr. Sentimental, go argue with your daughter about her tattoo.”

“Are you actually going to back me up on this, or throw me to the wolves?” He asked as he stood, lacing their fingers together.

She bumped his shoulder. “Haven’t decided yet.”

Will sighed. “That means no. Why do you always leave me to be the bad guy?”

She smiled up at him. “It’s fun to watch you worry when I know they’re just going to forgive you in an hour anyway.”

“It’s a long hour.”

Mac scoffed. “I’m the one who has to listen to you complain about it. Believe me, that’s torture enough.”

“Keep it up and I’ll tell Maddie you outed her about the peace sign.”

“You wouldn’t!” Mac gaped at him in fake outrage.

“I can hear you!” They both stopped dead as their daughter appeared at the top of the stairs, head cocked to the side as she looked down at them.

“For the record, it was your mother who was upset about the tattoo.” He pointed at Mac, who promptly tried to step on his foot.

Madison shook her head. “You guys are weird,” she said, casting another look at her parents before she headed back to her room.

“I think she meant you,” Will stage whispered.

“That statement alone pretty much confirmed that she was referring to you.” She climbed the stairs after Madison, Will a step behind. “Maddie, your father wants to have a pointless argument with you!”

Will could hear his daughter sigh even through the door, but it was a good natured sigh, the kind that came before all of their “pointless arguments.”

“Come in.”

Sometimes Will could hardly believe that this was his life, that he got to have _these_ kinds of arguments with Mac, with his son, with his daughter. Sometimes it was all too easy to imagine the life that he would have had if Mac hadn’t come to News Night, if he hadn’t forgiven her, if he hadn’t asked her to marry him. Most often, he was too busy with life to dwell on what ifs.

 


End file.
